The Aftermath
by Hitzlsperger
Summary: It is 10 years after the events of Sozin's Comet. Under the rule of the pacifist Fire Lord Zuko and the guidance of the Avatar, many expected the world to heal from the damages suffered during the century-long war. But evil is still afoot ...
1. 10 Years Later

**Title: **The Aftermath

******Rating: **T for now.

**Summary: **It is 10 years after the events of Sozin's Comet. Under the rule of the pacifist Fire Lord Zuko and the guidance of the Avatar, many expected the world to heal from the damages suffered during the century-long war. But evil is still afoot, and threatens to disrupt the peace once again ...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any components of ATLA.

**Chapter 1****: 10 Years Later ...**

In the palace of the Fire Nation

The burly figure made his way down the carpeted hallway, tray of food and tea in his hand. He threaded softly as he entered his son's room, making his presence known by a soft 'hmph'.

"Kuzon, you've got to eat", Zuko said in a low whisper.

His back toward his Father, the boy at his desk continued dabbing ink onto a parchment.

"Your Grand-Uncle Iroh caught a tuna koi today, I know how much you like breaded fish and deep-fried ash marrow so …"

"Can't you see I'm busy, _Fire Lord_?", Kuzon interjected, voice filled with disdain and hatred.

"I'll just leave the food here ..."

Zuko walked out of the room, feet dragging behind him as he did. He seemed tired, the trials and difficulties of the past few years evident from the perpetual frown he wore, as well as the miserable expression etched on his weary face.

_Why did she have to ruin everything! Why couldn't she leave me alone!_

The quiet lamentations of Fire Lord Zuko had never granted him peace, and it was no different this time, his regret and sorrow only causing him to spiral further into depression.

Back in the study, a flick of his Son's wrist summoned flames. Grand-Uncle Iroh's catch of the day was reduced to burnt flesh and ashes. A cracked ceramic teacup lay on its side, its contents forming a steaming puddle of greenish yellow water on the lush carpet flooring.

* * *

Somewhere near Omashu

"Where is Long Feng?"

Azula asked harshly as she gripped the tunic of a Dai Li agent.

"Last I heard, he ... he was in the Si Wong desert, building up his army.", the man stuttered.

Azula seemed to ponder this information for a moment, then turned her gaze back onto the green-robed figure.

"Where are all your Dai Li friends now? Running back to Long Feng to beg for his forgiveness?"

"I don't know where they are ... I'm done with Long Feng and the Dai Li. I'm going back to my family in Omashu."

Azula let go of the man's tunic and smiled. She stuck out a hand and gloved it with blue flame.

"I don't think so."

* * *

On Kyoshi Island

"Yue! Stop bothering your Uncle Aang or I won't let you have any of the cake he made for dessert!", Sokka's voice boomed across the courtyard, as his daughter continued her pestering of the Avatar.

"Just one more ride on the air scooter. Pretty pretty please Daddy?", Yue begged, her sapphire eyes sparkling with girlish delight.

"Okay, dear, just one more ride, but we've got to get back before your Mum realizes we're gone. " Sokka sighed with resignation. "You know its not safe.", he directed the latter words toward his brother-in-law Aang.

Aang gave a grim nod of acknowledgement, then smiled sheepishly as he took Yue once more round the courtyard.

Sokka watched on with a asinine smile on his wizened face. The years had not been kind. His numerous battle wounds had taken their toll, and he looked far too old for his 25 years. The scars and bruises he'd received in his combat against the rebel forces however, was nothing compared to the time he had to spend away from his family. For the past few years, he had spent months on ends away from his family, only returning for a few weeks each year. In fact, he had only arrived on Kyoshi Island last week, having been away for nearly 3 months, so despite all the aches and pains in his battered body, Sokka savored every moment that he spent with his family; his wife Suki and his daughter - oh how pretty she'd become - Yue. He still remembered the night she was born, the moon was bright and full in the night sky, as if his former paramour had decided to grace his daughter's arrival into this world with her presence.

Sokka sighed. He knew first-hand the pain of an absent father. He didn't want that for his 9 year-old daughter and his unborn child.

"Aang!", the approaching figure of Katara yelled out. "Stop playing around and get over here!"

"Yeah, Twinkletoes", an acerbic voice continued. "What up with the goofing off?"

"Aunt Toph!", Yue eagerly jumped off the air scooter and ran towards the blind Earthbender, smothering her with a forceful embrace.

The Steelbender buckled under the assault of Sokka's little girl.

"Feisty little devil, aren't you?", Toph remarked. "You sure are Snoozles's kid."

As Toph continuing wrestling with the boundless ball of energy that was Yue, Katara gave her husband an embrace of her own.

"I'm worried, Aang.", Katara whispered as she lifted her eyes to meet his.

Aang gave her a reassuring peck on the mouth.

"About what?"

"Everything! It's been 5 years, Aang, 5 insufferable years since Azula got out! And we still have no idea where she is! I mean after what she did ... who knows? She's a walking hazard, a dangerous _thing _we just can't just ignore. And the rebel movement is growing stronger each day, and try as hard as he might, Sokka can't fight them all off. And, Toph has scoured every part of the Earth Kingdom, from Omashu to Ba Sing Se; heck, she's even checked out Whaletail Island and the Rarok Archipelago! But she's found nothing! Absolutely nothing! The only place left on the map is the Si Wong Desert, but we can't just storm into Sandbender territory and accuse them of harboring a megalomania and his rumored army!"

Katara's stopped, as she realized her niece was staring at her, trembling blue eyes filled with confusion and fear. Sokka led his daughter away, knowing this was a conversation neither he or his daughter wanted to overhear. A reluctant Toph followed, moaning about 'marital woes'.

Twirling a lock of her long dark hair, Katara continued,

"I know Appa only just fathered a few bison cubs, and you're slowing rebuilding the Air Nomad civilization, but we could really use some Avatar power. The world is about to fall into another war, and there has been enough bloodshed already. Aang, please ... talk to Roku, ask Hei Bai for help, ask any of your Spirit World friends for their help.You know we need it."

Aang looked away, a curious look in his dark gray eyes.

"I left my people once, I'm not leaving them again, Katara."

"But ... the world, Aang, it needs you ... you're the Avatar, you have to ..."

"I'm sorry, but I've made my decision. lt's final. The world has to heal by itself, and time will do its work. The underlying tensions that still exist will be eradicated eventually. We just have to be patient and let nature take its course. Besides, we've been having such a great time in the Altai Mountains, with the Airbenders, Bison, Lemurs, everything I thought I'd lost, I have gotten back. I can't just leave it behind. ", Aang paused, his face wrought with emotion. "I understand if you don't wanna come back with me, I really do. But for now, my place is with my people. And the world doesn't need me. There's nothing I can do for the world, I've fulfilled my job as Avatar by taking down Ozai. Rebuilding the world? That's the job of the next Avatar. "

Katara raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"There's something you're not telling me, aren't you?"

Aang's gray eyes widened with surprise and guilt.

"You've been hiding it from me for a few years now, I know, Aang, don't act all surprised, you're as easy to read as the coloring scrolls the kids play with in the temple."

Katara closed the distance between them and whispered reassuringly:

"It's okay, dear, I know you'll tell me when you're ready. But as your role is to be with your people, mine is to be with Sokka on the battlefield."

She leaned forward and rested her head on Aang's shoulder. He had grown very much taller since hitting puberty, she mused.

"I'm gonna miss you."

"Me too, Katara."

Husband and wife hugged, bodies locked in a passionate embrace. Aang ran his fingers through Katara's lush chocolate-brown curls, pressing his body close against hers. He lifted his head and stared into her deep blue eyes - _god she was beautiful_ - before planting his lips on hers. He kissed her wide-mouthed and hungrily, tongue forcefully parting her mouth - an action, he considered for a brief moment, Gyatso and the other Monks if still alive, would have frowned upon - before Katara gently broke it off.

Face flushed, she said rather non-committally, "We better get back to Sokka's place, we are here to celebrate Suki's pregnancy after all."

* * *

At the North Pole

"Okay, Students, today we're going to be learning basic waterbending forms. Try to practice them with moving water, and focus on the speed, rather than power", Pakku announced to his group of aspiring waterbenders. A quick glance over his class revealed the bright eager face of a young child, who stood out like a. He sighed wearily as the enthusiastic kid jotted down notes in a weather-beaten parchment. No matter how many times he'd try to chase him out, the little rascal kept popping up in his classes. Pakku had learnt to ignore him.

_After all, what harm could it do?_

"As you all know, the rebel movement is growing stronger each day, and although the Earth Kingdom has thus far held its own, we cannot rely on them to forever act as our buffer state. You're not going to like it, but I'll be moving ahead of schedule, and by the end of the week I should expect all of you to have mastered basic ice construction as well as controlling the speed of moving water. Next week, we will be starting on more advanced techniques that will require a lot more finesse and panache. As such our sessions will have to be stretched till nightfall.

A collective groan emerged from Pakku's ensemble of gangly teenagers. Only the rogue kid seemed to be happy, with an asinine smile plastered over his goofy face. He seemed out of place among the people of the Northern Tribe, as he'd inherited his Earth Kingdom father's raven hair and green eyes. No one really knew why his father had settled down in the North Pole. It was common knowledge that his late wife had been of the Southern Tribe, but no one had bothered to find out about his history, preferring to leave things unsaid. The less known about someone, the better, it seemed.

* * *

In Ba Sing Se

"Bosco!"

The flustered King Kuei yelled out, his regal robes fluttering behind him in an odious green mess as he fled down the hallway to embrace his furry companion.

"Oh, I've missed you! Has General How treated you well?"

A frown suddenly appeared on the previously jovial face of Kuei.

"Oh my goodness, your fur, I can't stand to allow for this!"

Fussing over the matted clumps of fur on Bosco, and frantically summoning his royal hairdressers, Kuei failed to spot the missile of Earth that hurtled towards his midsection and sent him flying across the room, his back impacting the marble columns of his palace.

As Bosco growled in anger, a dart embedded itself into the lower back of the bear, forcing the otherwise magnificent creature to crumble into a collapsed heap of fur and bone. The royal servants fled the scene, panic and fear overruling all other emotion.

From the corner of the hall, a tall menacing figure emerged, long unruly strands of grayish-black hair hanging from his head to his hunched shoulders. The man's full figure was revealed as stepped out into the light, and Kuei, summoning the reserves of his remaining strength, looked toward his assailant. Eyes of gold stared back down upon the Earth King.

"Men, secure the premises, we are not to be disturbed."

The assailant's crew complied, moving swiftly across the hall and covering all entrances.

"Now, Mr Earth King, you will tell me where _it_ is. If not, your precious pet there," the man with the golden eyes pointed to the fallen bear, "will be systemically dissected one organ at a time, in a painfully long drawn-out procedure."

The stranger smirked, knowing he'd successfully manipulated the 52nd Earth King into doing his bidding.

* * *

Outside of a Tavern in the Earth Kingdom

"You know you'll need much more than that for my services", the raven-haired beauty said as she patted her Shirshu, whilst eyeing the sack of gold coins offered to her.

"I'll get you the money, just help me find her ... and you'll be duly rewarded", the charismatic brunet with the brown eyes replied. "She's fairly important around these parts, and she owes me ... big time."

The man paused, taking the stalk of wheat he'd been nibbling on out of his mouth. He withdrew a hairpin, passing it over the nose of the bounty hunter's pet.

"Well, if she doesn't pay me the rest of the cash, I'll turn you in. You do know there's a bounty on your head right?", the lady with the dark hair continued. Noticing that her pet, Nyla, had already picked up the desired scent, Jun impatiently added. "Enough with the dwaddling, let's go find your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend ...", Jet muttered silently as he hopped onto the Shirshu.

With a flick of Jun's whip, they sped off into the forest, Nyla's head constantly moving and shifting as she followed the scent of the woman Jet desired to meet.


	2. A Moment Of Peace

**Title:** The Aftermath

**Rating:** T+ (Bordering on M)

**Summary:** It is 10 years after the events of Sozin's Comet. Under the rule of the pacifist Fire Lord Zuko and the guidance of the Avatar, many expected the world to heal from the damages suffered during the century-long war. But evil is still afoot, and threatens to disrupt the peace once again ...

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any components of ATLA.

**Warning: **Mild adult themes.

**Chapter 2: A Moment Of Peace**

On Kyoshi Island

"Nice place you've got here, Snoozles, I love the decor!" Toph muttered aloud.

"It's gorgeous isn't it! We used mahogany for the panels but used oak for floor, it's much easier to clean, and lends a magnificent brown tone ...", Sokka grimaced, his right hand finding its way to his forehead.

A grin broke out on Toph's face.

"That just never gets old ..."

Katara watched on, as a heady feeling of nostalgia washed over her.

_Somethings never changed._

"It's lovely isn't it?"

Katara looked up to the source of the voice, a petite brunette with the most marvelous set of brown eyes. She was briefly reminded of Jet.

"What is?"

The diminutive lady smiled and answered gently, as if all too aware of the fragile emotional state Katara was in.

"This moment of peace. We rarely have any time to relax back at the palace."

"The Palace?"

Katara's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh, you must be Song. How's Zuko holding up? Pity he couldn't make it."

Song, who up to this point had a demeanor befitting a queen, suddenly blinked twice in quick succession, and a light pink blush appeared on her cheeks.

"He's been taking things quite well, projecting the image of a confident leader and all, but I've seen him have his vulnerable moments. He's pretty good at keeping his emotions in check. I'm not sure whether that's a good thing."

Concern and affection tinged Song's soft voice as she unconsciously stroked her long dark hair, a habitual trait that surfaced every time she was nervous.

"You love him don't you?" Katara stated matter-of-factly.

Song's blush deepened, turning from pink to red.

"I haven't told him yet - it's only been 2 years since I started working in the Fire Nation, and I know he still hasn't completed recovered from his last relationship. Besides he doesn't seem to be the romantic kind."

Katara flashed her a polite smile, a knowing smile.

"He doesn't show it, but he needs and yearns for comfort and affection as much as any other guy. I'm sure he'll greatly appreciate it."

Their conversation came to an abrupt end when Yue excitedly brought out lunch - Turnip-Carrot and Ash Marrow Stew with Rice.

The adults and 1 kid tucked into their meal in a brief period of silence.

Then Suki was bombarded with the perfunctory questions that come with announcing one's pregnancy.

"When is it due?"

"Is it a boy?"

"If it is, are you really going to name him Sokka Jr.?"

The last question was blurted out by Toph, which drew a pout from Sokka and laughter from everyone else, including Suki.

"It was only a suggestion ...", Sokka muttered under his breath and then added indignantly,

"And it's not like it's a bad one!"

More laughter ensued as he continued his protest, arguing how Sokka Jr. wasn't such a bad name.

After the hoohah died down, Aang suddenly turned to Sokka and said,

"I know the rebel movement has been growing stronger, and you are severely undermanned, so it is with greatest difficulty that I have to tell you this. I can't join you. I know my destiny lies elsewhere. I'm sorry, but as I told Katara earlier, I've already fulfilled my responsibility to the world by taking out Ozai."

"But you're the Avatar! Zuko is struggling just to keep everything together, and you're just going to abandon him to solve to the problems of the world on his own?"

Everyone at the table turned towards Song, whose strong outburst further ruined the mood of the 'party'.

Yue's large blue eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she was visibly trembling, confused and scared of the sudden hostility present in the dining room.

"Mommy?", she whimpered tentatively.

Suki quickly glanced around the table, her blue-green eyes firm and assertive, conveying the message she wouldn't stand for any more nonsense.

"It's okay, Yue, Uncle Aang just made a lame joke, and no one likes bad humor."

Yue's little face brightened up, and sniggered, "Ms. Song really didn't like that joke, did she?"

Toph tactfully continued the charade, remarking with feigned aloofness,

"Yeah, Twinkletoes, that was an awful joke. And I thought Air Nomads were supposed to have a good sense of humor!"

And just like that normality resumed, although the rest of the lunch was filled with awkward conversation, mostly pleasantries and formalities, and a air of tension that hung thick and heavy in the room.

--

Dusk over Kyoshi Island was always breathtakingly beautiful, the vibrant hues of orange and red in the sky casting it's brilliance over the scenic shoreline. The gentle lapping waves, the silent flight of Tocuan-Puffins and the last remnants of the land breeze were a great distraction from the troubling state of the world.

The two ladies walked in silence, appreciating the artistry of nature and the serenity it provided. It almost seemed like a gift from the spirits, as if to remind the two young women that despite all the ugliness of humanity, there was still beauty in the world.

"I'm sorry for what happened earlier," Song apologized sincerely as she turned to face her pregnant friend.

"It's okay, Aang did choose the wrong time to make his announcement."

The 2 women continued walking as the colors of the sky mellowed, displayed a medley of hues ranging from watermelon pink to a deep shade of lavender.

Song continued, "I hope Zuko's presents weren't too extravagant for your liking."

"No, not at all, it was a very nice gesture. It was sad he couldn't make it, Yue was really looking forward to his fireworks display. Is he stuck up in the capital again?"

"Unfortunately, yes, his workload just keeps getting heavier and heavier. Even with Iroh at his side, he just can't cope. He spends many nights up by himself, reading reports, devising tactics against the rebels, balancing cheques. And there are very few people he can trust, as even though many of the staunchest pro-Ozai cabinet members have been removed, there still are many who believe in the superiority of the Fire Nation."

Song paused.

"They can be more than a little hostile to Earth Kingdom scum like me."

Suki gasped lightly.

"It's nothing much, just snide remarks here and there. I don't blame them, it's the way they were taught to behave and act."

"Anyway, enough about me, you're going to have a baby! Are you nervous about it? I mean with Sokka due to leave tomorrow and all ... can you cope with raising Yue on your own?"

Suki didn't answer.

--

The ships were ready in the docks by midmorning, and standing on the pier holding Yue's hand, Suki bid farewell to her husband and friends.

"Promise me you'll write? Okay? All of you. It gets very lonely on Kyoshi Island. Toph, no excuses, you can get someone to write for you."

Toph grimaced. She pointed absentmindedly to where she thought Katara was.

"Sure, but Sweetness better not complain!"

Sokka turned to his wife, an apologetic look in his sad blue eyes.

"I promise it'll be over soon, and Yue will have her Father back home."

Suki's lips brushed against his.

"Just don't get yourself killed, you are very clumsy on the battlefield."

Sokka smiled at his wife's attempt to lighten the mood. He bent down and patted his daughter's head.

"Listen to your mum and don't give her any trouble, and I'll get you one of those Earth Kingdom dolls when I return."

Yue wrapped her tiny arms around Sokka in a warm embrace.

"Daddy? Come back soon, 'kay?"

Sokka gently pushed his daughter off him, looked straight into her round blue eyes and lied.

* * *

Outside an Earth Kingdom Inn

"She's in there."

Jun calmly stated as she helped Jet off her Shirshu.

"I'll be waiting right here, make sure you have the ..."

The giant animal suddenly raised its snout in the air, clearly recognizing a certain scent.

"What's wrong with it?", Jet asked, the piece of wheat in the corner of his mouth bobbing up and down as he did.

Jun spent a few minutes checking her pet, before a wan smile found its way onto her otherwise expressionless face.

"Looks like it's your lucky day, pal, your payment will suffice, Nyla's picked up the scent of a more worthwhile venture."

Jet frowned in disbelief.

"Seriously, there are other people with a much higher bounty on their head than you, don't flatter yourself, lover boy. Just go in there work out your girlfriend problems."

With that parting comment and a crack of her whip, Jun was off, her ponytail fluttering in the pale moonlight.

--

Jet made his way up the creaky old stairs of the Inn slowly. He treaded lightly, ensuring he made as little noise as possible. He did not want to alert her of his presence.

_She's upstairs in room 8, but you best not be going near that girl, if you know what's best for you._

The Innkeeper's warning reverberated in the mental landscape of Jet's head.

He made it to her room. He gripped the doorknob and lightly pushed it inward. Nothing. The door was locked. Jet cursed quietly under his breath. He should have asked the Innkeeper for a spare.

He withdrew her hairpin from his pocket, and got to work, lightly prodding and poking to turn the simplistic lock. In less than a minute, the lock popped open, and Jet proceeded to enter her room.

He heard the sound of running water and noticed that the door to the bathroom was slightly ajar.

_Indoor plumbing. This had to be one of the better Inns in the Earth Kingdom._

The room itself was sparsely furnished with only a four-poster bed, a desk, chair, dresser and a lamp. But whatever furniture it did have, was of a remarkable quality. The four poster bed - complete with silk sheets and pillows - along with the desk, chair and dresser were made of Cedar-Oak, one of the sturdiest materials in the Earth Kingdom. The easily distinguishable reddish-bronze shade of the wood under the orangey glow of the desk-side lamp, gave the room a rather cosy and peaceful ambience. As if the visual spectacle wasn't enough, the room was perfumed with the most intoxicating scent of mulberry and sandalwood, courtesy of the bath the female occupant was having.

_Man, this Inn went all out! Fragrant soaps?_

The sound of running water stopped. Jet sat down on the chair, awaiting his companion.

"I know you're there."

A female voice came from inside the bathroom.

Jet responded in kind.

"Sweet place you've got here. Four-poster bed, fragrant soaps ... you sure know how to pamper yourself, Princess."

The woman finally walked out of the bathroom, her body barely covered in a pink towel.

"They ran out of white towels, they only have ones in this horrible color."

The woman walked to the dresser, beginning to comb her long dark hair. She had changed since the last time Jet saw her. Her figure was more svelte now, her sensuous curves more pronounced and she had gained some muscle. Her arms and legs were taut and toned, and she had a slight tan on her, which was so much more appealing than the deathly-pale skin she had when she was in the asylum. The former Fire Nation Princess was beautiful before, now she was simply divine.

Azula continued.

"I hate pink. It reminds me of Ty Lee."

Jet eased back into his seat. She didn't object to his presence in her room, so he made himself comfortable. He took out the piece of wheat in his mouth and placed it on the desk, along with his tiger hook swords. He put his feet on the tabletop.

"It cost me a tiny fortune to find you, you know. But everything is going along smoothly though, the movement is growing, our financial resources are increasing ... although there's still the problem of Long Feng's rogue army."

Azula turned to face Jet, a devious smile on her face.

"Oh, don't fret over that", she taunted in a sing-song voice. "You have other things to worry about tonight."

She let her towel drop, relishing the effect it had on Jet. She took great pride in her body, as she did with most things, and she knew she wanted her first time to be perfect.

"I've been waiting for this for 24 years, Jet, don't disappoint me."

She grabbed the clearly shell-shocked Jet out of his chair and onto the bed, before climbing up onto him, her long wet tresses spilling over her head onto Jet's dark handsome face.

Her companion regained some of his usual charisma.

"Your hair smells wonderful, Princess, honey-pear shampoo?"

Azula leaned in to kiss him, her luscious lips forcefully drawing the breath out of Jet's lungs.

"Your compliments won't change anything.", she said with authority.

"I'm going to be on top."

* * *

In the Fire Nation Capital

"Fire Lord Zuko!" a flustered soldier yelled out, a sheen of sweat visible on his forehead, as he sped down the hallway.

"The Earth King! Bear ... dissection ... rebel earthbenders!", the soldier said in between pants.

Zuko stopped him.

"Please calm down, Private, take your time."

Taking a deep breath, the inexperienced army man continued.

"We just received word from Ba Sing Se, the Earth King and his bear have gone missing, believed to be kidnapped by someone who witnesses describe as strikingly similar to ..."

The man paused, as if unsure to continue.

"Who? Who did he look like? Spit it out, soldier!", Zuko ordered harshly, impatience and fear creeping into his voice.

"Your Father, Sir. Witnesses said he looked like your Father."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **For my small viewing audience, the relationship between Jet and Azula will be explained in the next chapter, amongst other things. I'm still working on a flashback chapter (5 years ago ...) but I'm still not sure which chapter I want it to be. The mature content in this chapter will be about as far as it gets in this fic, so just a heads up, in case you are worried whether there are going to be explicit love scenes later on.


	3. Lies and Deceit

**Title: **The Aftermath

******Rating: **T for now.

**Summary: **It is 10 years after the events of Sozin's Comet. Under the rule of the pacifist Fire Lord Zuko and the guidance of the Avatar, many expected the world to heal from the damages suffered during the century-long war. But evil is still afoot, and threatens to disrupt the peace once again ...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any components of ATLA.

**Warning: **Mild Adult Themes.

**Chapter 3****: Lies and Deceit ...**

On a ship to the Earth Kingdom

The ship was old and smelled distinctively of moldy socks. The panels were also in a very poor state, strips of wood having peeled off, exposing numerous trails of beetle-ants transporting snippets of food to their colony, which Sokka now knew was in the wooden beams holding up the levels of the ship. At first he had been worried that they had been termites, and that the ship would just fall apart somewhere in the ocean and they would all drown to death. But the captain had convinced him otherwise, although Sokka was still grossed out by the sight of the tiny crawling creatures. There weren't any insects in the South Pole, and even though he'd been in the warmer Earth Kingdom climate for the good part of the last 10 years, he still could not get accustomed to the sight. They gave him goosebumps.

_At least his room was decent._

Sokka laid on his bed, arms raised behind him, his head cushioned by the intersection of his crossed arms. He had just come back from a tedious war meeting with his men and the Kyoshi Warriors. It had taken a long time, but they'd eventually devised a strategy to take back the Earth Kingdom City of Shandu from the rebel forces. He had been extraordinarily quiet and lacklustre today, which was surprising as normally he had tons of ideas buzzing around in his head.

A knock on the door disrupted his reverie.

"It's Ty Lee, you seemed _off _during the war meeting just now, you alright?"

Sokka got out of bed and pushed the door open, where the petite frame of Ty Lee greeted him. She had removed her Kyoshi Warrior makeup, and was dressed in a tight-fitting light red shift.

"Come in, we need to talk."

She bounded up to the bed and then executed a standing somersault, landing seductively on the bed, her body draped over the cheap plywood frame, back resting on the rough woolen sheets and her pretty face hanging inverted over the bed.

She batted her large hazel-brown eyes suggestively.

Sokka closed the door, and walked towards the waiting Ty Lee.

"Ty Lee, we need to talk."

She flipped herself to an upright position excitedly. Sokka smiled. She had lost none of her bubbly girlishness. He loved that about her.

Sokka took a seat at the edge of the bed.

"What is it, cutie?" Ty Lee cheerily asked.

Sokka turned to look at her and took in everything. Her expressive puppy dog eyes, her cute button nose, her bubbly personality, and her smile ... oh her smile, it was so adorable. She always treated him well, laughed at his jokes, no matter how crude, and had a rocking body - blessed with great assets and the trained body of a acrobat. He hated to admit this, but he had far more fun with her than he did with Suki. When he was with her, everything seemed to lighten up, everything wasn't so serious, he could just really enjoy himself, letting his boyish side loose. And she was unbelievable in bed ... her natural flexibility and acrobatics ... were simply amazing.

Ty Lee smiled again. One of her usual jubilant grins.

"You're staring", she giggled, then closed the distance between them with her lips, a wet and heavy one. Sokka relented for a while, then stiffened up and broke it off.

Ty Lee looked into Sokka's light blue eyes, her own hazel ones filled with worry and concern.

"What's wrong?"

Sokka stood up.

"I'm sorry Ty, I can't do this anymore. You were Suki's choice for leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. You're her close friend. I'm her husband. We can't do this anymore. I have a daughter and an unborn child. I have a family Ty."

Sokka's voice was wrought with emotion - pain, anguish and sorrow.

"I love Suki. I ... don't love you. You were just a fling, a mistake."

His voice steadied, as he continued on his rant, more to convince himself than anything that what he was about to do was justified.

Ty Lee's large round eyes glistened with unshed tears. The joyous smile vanished from her pretty face.

"I was lonely ... being so far away from my family ... when you offered your companionship, I took it, but I was careless, the result of being separated from my wife for so long."

Sokka continued, conviction creeping into his voice, building up his courage to say the next line.

"Ty ... it's over. We can't see each other anymore."

A single tear rolled down Ty Lee's cheek, as she tried desperately to bat away her tears.

"You are the first and only man I have ever loved. I gave you everything! My heart, my body ... you're the only man I've given my body to. I don't mind being the mistress. I've told you that from the moment we started ... "

Tears started rolling down her face.

"I don't mind ... I don't mind", she whimpered in between sobs.

Sokka said down on the edge of the bed again, guilt tugging painfully at his heart.

"I'm really sorry for all this, Ty."

He put his left arm around her shoulder, gently rubbing that area, regret for his earlier rant compelling him to comfort his illicit lover.

"You will find someone better than me, I promise. You are a great person, always so optimistic and upbeat, always so uplifting and encouraging ... not to mention you're freakin' beautiful."

They stayed like this for a long while until Ty Lee stopped sobbing.

She wiped away her tears and then spoke level-headedly, "I always knew there was a chance this day would happen, but I didn't want to think about it, I didn't want to acknowledge it. I wanted this to last forever, even though I knew it would not."

Sokka for once, had nothing to say.

"Thanks for giving the best time of my life ... we can still be friends you know. Even if its platonic ..."

Ty Lee got up, walking towards the door.

"See you tomorrow at breakfast?"

Sokka nodded wordlessly.

Ty Lee flashed him a smile, then walked out of the room. She walked up to the Kyoshi Warrior's segment of the ship, past the common corridor, where a few of her warriors greeted her as she walked past. She responded cheerfully, as per her normal behavior.

After 4 minutes of going through the motions, she reached her room, and as she closed the door behind her, she jumped onto her bed and wept into her pillow.

--

Katara emerged from behind the corner. She was stunned by everything that she heard.

_Sokka was cheating on Suki? With Ty Lee?_

An innocent trip to return Sokka his clean laundry, had given Katara much more than she bargained for.

_I love Suki. I ... don't love you. You were just a fling, a mistake._

_I gave you everything! My heart, my body ... you're the only man I've given my body to._

Katara pondered over what to do with the information she had. She wouldn't confront Sokka about it as of yet. He was emotionally worn-out as it was already.

She would have to live with this burden for now.

* * *

Azula's room in an Earth Kingdom Inn

Jet awoke, underneath soft silk sheets, his naked body bruised and battered from the exertions of the previous night.

Azula was a demanding mistress. She wanted to try _everything_.

But it had been an amazing night all in all.

He turned to his partner, stirring her from her slumber.

"Did I exceed your expectations, Princess?"

Azula stretched languidly.

"It wasn't perfect, but it was close enough."

She got off the bed, her naked form glistening in the warm glow of the rising sun. Jet felt aroused again. Azula really was a sight to behold. Her long hair falling just below her shoulders, her sensual hourglass figure, her long slender legs and her firm, tight butt, it was hard not to get turned on.

Azula saw the desire in Jet's brown eyes and smiled. She loved the effect her nudity had on him.

"I'm going to shower, you're free to join me if you want."

Jet leapt out of bed, and made his way to the bathroom. In the early dawn, his chiseled physique obtained a tawny-brown hue, and his eyes exuded mischief.

He briefly recalled how'd he met Azula.

--

_It was one of the rare times that they had let her out of her padded cell. He had heard stories, rumors of the atrocities she had committed. Now she was sitting right there by the pond, angrily chucking rocks into the water. The rhythmic splashing had a quiet intensity about it and he sensed a lot of hurt and pain, as well as open hostility and anger toward the world. But she was beautiful in her anger. She appeared to be in her late teenage years, possibly 18 or 19._

_The Jet of 3 years ago would have tried to attack the Fire Nation Princess, kill her perhaps. But Jet had lost his simmering hatred for the Fire Nation. It had been replaced with a simmering hatred of the world. He had been enlightened by the words of a now deceased inmate, an elderly social science teacher originally from Ba Sing Se university. Professor Chang had been thrown into the asylum for his leftist political views. The old man's words had struck a chord in Jet's stubborn heart, and despite his initial skepticism, Jet had accepted his way of thinking. _

_"Hey", he said as he plopped down beside her._

_"What are you looking at, commoner!", Azula yelled, rage evident in her voice. A small flicker of flame appeared on her fingertips. "Have you come to stare at the mad Fire Nation Princess?"_

_Jet kept quiet. He knew better to interrupt someone in the midst of a rant._

_"Didn't quite live up to your expectations, did I! No bloody fingernails from trying to crawl out of here, no white glazed over eyes! No fire coming from my mouth, right! Disappointed you, have I? Now get the hell away from me!"_

_Azula sat back down, continuing chucking rocks at the pond._

_Jet didn't budge._

_"You're still here", she growled._

_Jet took a rock of his own and smashed it into the pond._

_"I don't know what you did before you got in here, but you should leave before I drown you."_

_Azula's quiet threat was very real. _

_"You have issues, Princess", Jet stated calmly. _

_Silence. More splashing of rocks. Then Azula finally broke the quiet. _

_"I couldn't even keep my allies in check. They betrayed me, everyone will eventually. Trust is for fools"_

_Jet looked into her smoldering gold eyes, and asked boldly, "Do you trust me?"_

_Azula looked at the charismatic stranger and replied, "If it weren't for the suppressants and anti-anxiety medication they've been force feeding me, I would have killed you by now."_

_"But you haven't. So you trust me", Jet responded slickly._

_Azula snorted in disgust._

_"I don't trust anyone. There's no one you can trust but yourself. The world is one big problem."_

_"The problem with the world is that as long as it is divided, there will always be conflict and people will always be untrustworthy and despicable. Its human nature."_

_Jet stood up and turned away from Azula. _

_"Name's Jet by the way", he casually remarked. "And whatever your name is, I'm sure it's as beautiful as you, Princess."_

--

* * *

In the Earth King's Palace Library

The collection of scrolls and books were vast and numerous, shelfs upon shelfs containing material on history, agriculture, fine cuisine and even some war stratagem scrolls. But the self-proclaimed Phoenix King was not worried about any of these things.

He only wanted one thing.

"Where is it?", he barked, spittle flying into Kuei's face. "I won't ask again."

"I ... don't know! No one has seen it since ... since ... your brother returned it to us." Kuei's nervous stutter didn't help things.

Ozai gripped Kuei by the collar of his robes and mercilessly shoved him forward, slamming his head onto the floor. His spectacles splintered and broke, tiny shards of glass nicking the area below his eyes, causing blood to trickle down his cheek.

"What are you waiting for then? Find it!" Ozai ordered. He gestured toward his men, who brought Bosco forward, into full view of Kuei. Ozai raised a hand, then brought his index finger down toward the bear. A large manacle of stone wrapped around the bear's limp body.

Kuei whimpered at the sight.

"Find it quickly, Earth King Sir, otherwise your little pet bear there will start to experience .." Ozai brought his hand down. The Earthbenders understood the signal. A large crack came from Bosco's forepaw, and a yelp of pain emerged from the drugged bear. "The joy of dissection."

Kuei moved like a man possessed, tearing books and scrolls off the shelves in a crazed frenzy.

Ozai smiled.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

* * *

In the Altai Mountains

Aang rarely had any dreams anymore. Well, he knew he had dreams, Roku had told him once that everyone dreams, it was just everybody was too focused on the troubles and distractions of the real world; as a result, forgetting whatever dreams they might have had when they woke up. For Aang though, it was rare if he could remember even one dream per week, and it was even rarer when he remembered vividly holding a conversation with Roku in his dream.

Roku hadn't talked to him for almost 5 years now. Aang didn't think it was possible Roku could even talk to him anymore ... especially after what happened with Azula that day.

He thought back to his dream conversation with Roku.

_--_

_Darkness completely surrounded him. There was complete silence. A perfect stillness and quiet greeted Aang as he obtained consciousness in his dream. He felt like he was a single fish in a vast black ocean of lifelessness. There was nothing, absolutely nothing but the encompassing lack of light and sound. _

_A red robed figure emerged in the distance, emitting a warm glow that dispelled the infinite darkness. He was a tall imposing figure, his posture regal. He had a long flowing white mane of hair, and a short beard which hung off his chin. _

_Aang opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't say anything, realizing he was muted by some unknown power. Roku's eyes glowed a blinding white, and Aang suddenly heard his voice in his head. _

_"You may think your responsibility as the Avatar is over. But Ozai is planning terrible things for the world. You didn't finish the job, you failed to stop him. You should have killed him on the day of Sozin's Comet. You took the coward's method and now you are going to pay for it. I gave you back your people, showed you where a surviving colony of them were located. Now I am ordering you to leave them. Go to the Fire Nation, and tell my great-grandson what really transpired 5 years ago."_

--

Aang shuddered, remembering Roku's harsh message. He grabbed his staff, and flew out of his room, toward the bison grounds. Aang looked to his left, half-expecting to see a winged-lemur flying alongside him. But Momo had died a few years ago. Nostalgia and sorrow washed over Aang. He remembered how Sokka and Katara had sobbed at Momo's funeral, while Toph uttered an emotive "I'll miss you, bud" under her breath. Appa had moaned plaintively the following nights, so much so the Air Nomads couldn't sleep.

He flew over the bison grounds, searching out his animal guide.

Appa found him before Aang did. The giant air bison flew toward his master, ducking at the last moment to allow Aang to mount him. His saddle had long since been removed, so Aang sat at the head of his animal companion, and through their telepathic understanding, directed Appa towards the Fire Nation. It was finally time to tell the truth.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I know I put the 2 main characters in this fic down as Zuko & Katara, so I apologize there hasn't been much of either. But I'll try and correct that. I just have to get some backstories going first for the first few chapters.


	4. The Cookie Crumbles

**Title:** The Aftermath

**Rating:** T+

**Summary:** It is 10 years after the events of Sozin's Comet. Under the rule of the pacifist Fire Lord Zuko and the guidance of the Avatar, many expected the world to heal from the damages suffered during the century-long war. But evil is still afoot, and threatens to disrupt the peace once again ...

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any components of ATLA.

**Warning: **Mild adult themes. Also, for this chapter my Author's Notes are quite controversial. Don't read it if you're easily offended or are sensitive to topics like death, capital punishment and euthanasia.

**Chapter 4: The Cookie Crumbles ...**

In the Fire Nation Palace

The room had a musky odor, filled with the thick smell of ammonia from the occupant's sweat and urine. Kuzon hadn't bathed in 2 weeks, since his Father had forcefully dunked him into the river. What he had thought was a long delayed fishing trip turned out to a devious ploy by his Father to get him to bathe. He had been so excited when his old man walked in one day, cheery smile on his face, and told him they were finally going to be taking that fishing trip that he'd had promised him so long ago. Kuzon had been so excited to go to the Jang Hui river - he knew it had been heavily polluted earlier in the war, but now it had recovered and homed many of the rare varieties of tuna-koi it once did. Ever since he was young, Kuzon had loved fishing, it was one of his many hobbies. His mother used to say he was like a miniature version of his Dad, but the Fire Lord always argued that he was never that _mischievous_ or playful. Those had been genuinely happy moments, and when Yue came on her occasional visits, they'd had so much fun together, playing pranks on the unsuspecting adults. But he hadn't seen her since that dreadful day 5 years ago.

The day he'd lost his Mother, the day his Father had failed to protect his family. The day his life was ruined.

Thinking back to his conversation with the Fire Lord - Kuzon didn't recognize that man as his Father - he felt his ears grow hot.

_--_

_They had reached the banks of the Jang Hui river, and Kuzon was mesmerized by its breathtaking beauty. It had been everything Aunt Katara told him it would be ... and unsurprisingly it was nothing like what Aunt Toph had said it looked like. _

_"It's just water, just a giant blob of water, what's there to see? Don't you have swimming pools in the Palace?'_

_Brimming with excitement for the first time in 5 years, and genuinely happy to be spending time with his Father, Kuzon dashed to the bank, and enthusiastically set up his fishing equipment. His Father came behind him, helping him to hook bait onto his line. Kuzon smiled, happy of his Father's presence ... until he felt 3 sharp jabs to his back, and fell over, immobilized. The Fire Lord had blocked his chi paths. _

_His Father stood over him, a menacing figure. All of Kuzon's affection for Zuko dissipated. _

"_You will take a bath today, Kuzon, I won't stand for your nonsense anymore._

_Kuzon swore. Uncouth, colorful vocabulary spilling out of his untamed mouth. _

_Zuko slapped his unmoving son across the cheek. _

_"No son of mine uses that kind of language!"_

_Kuzon glared at his Father and his two golden-brown orbs - or whatever was left of them - were filled with hate and anger._

_"I am not your son," Kuzon spat out, his voice dripping with pure venom. "Because you are no Father of mine."_

_The Fire Lord stood there for a moment before turning on his heels and walking away._

_Kuzon's yelling and piercing screams reached Zuko's ears._

_"Don't walk away from me, come and face me like a man!"_

_"You are a coward! A weak pathetic coward!"_

_Zuko continued to walk away from his immobile son as the adolescent continued spewing insults his way._

_"Mum died because of you. You couldn't stop it. You were responsible for her death."_

_That finally drew the ire of the Fire Lord, who lashed out at his son, large waves of flames sweeping toward his son. Realizing the folly of his action, he withdrew his flames just before it reached his son. The flames dissipated into nothingness. _

_Kuzon smiled. A wicked, vindictive smile._

_"You know it's true, Fire Lord. It's your fault. It's always been. Even when she was alive, you treated her like rubbish. You cared more about your precious Fire Nation than your family." _

_The Fire Lord didn't bother responding to his son's verbal taunts. He only finally turned to his face the swearing Kuzon when he reached the carriage. _

_"I will not take this childish petulant nonsense from you. For Agni's sake, Kuzon, grow up. You're not a kid anymore."_

"_Of course, Fire Lord, I lost any semblance of my childhood 5 years ago, because of this__!" Kuzon snarled, the disfigured left side of his face scrunched up in a grotesque manner._

_Zuko's left hand instinctively found its way to the area around his left eye, where his scar used to be._

_Shaking his head as he stepped into his carriage, Zuko motioned for his soldiers to draw near to him._

_"Ensure that my son is properly washed and send him back home when you're done."_

_"Where are you going, Sir?", one brave soldier asked._

_Zuko sat down in the carriage and looked the man in the eye. _

_"I have a country to run. There are much more important things to do than disciplining my unruly child."_

--

Kuzon smiled as he applied the finishing touches to his scroll. He laid the parchment out for the ink to dry. He was pleased. His masterpiece was complete.

In the dim glow of candlelight, the big block characters that made up the title of his scroll read:

**"The Sins of Fire Lord Zuko"**

His Father was going down. A simple messenger hawk to the nearest news agency would ensure the piece would be published. Zuko's removal of Ozai's tough censorship policies would be his own downfall.

* * *

In the reclaimed Earth Kingdom City of Shandu 

The battle had been fierce, but with Katara by their side, they had managed to dispatch the combined might of rebel Earth and Fire Nation forces. Majority of their enemies were benders, and even though the Kyoshi Warriors and Sokka's men were severely outnumbered and outmatched, Katara proved to be the deciding factor, turning the battle towards their side with a magnificent show of bending. Drawing upon a large body of water nearby, namely the Shandu Lake, Katara had defeated hundreds of men with sheer force and volume of water.

The citizens of Shandu had happily welcomed their liberators, and the governor himself had insisted that they stayed in the palace for their troubles.

It had been a few hours since their grueling victory. It was mid-afternoon, and the weather was hot but strangely, not humid. Perfect weather of tanning. As the waterbender made her way down the halls, she couldn't help but overhear guttural moans of pleasure coming from the rooms nearby. Such ... _interactions _were always bound to occur, with an army made up of two factions, one purely female, while the other purely male. And after battle, especially a victory; with testosterone levels increased and adrenaline still pumping through their bodies, the men were extremely ... primal in their desires. The Kyoshi Warriors were more than happy to comply, as they too had _certain_ needs, which had never really been met because of the no-male policy of their group.

As Katara walked toward Governor Shun's room, she tried to filter out the sounds of pleasure coming from the palace rooms, but stopped trying to, the moment she heard a cry of delight, issued by a familiar voice.

"Oh, Ty! I've missed this so much!"

That was, without a shadow of a doubt, Sokka ...

Despite not wanting to, her ears focused, concentrating on the noises coming from that room. Yue knew what was going on, the amount of noise and the frequency of the moans gave Katara the notion that Sokka was having the time of his life. She quickly brushed that image out of her head.

_Ewwww ... that was just too gross._

But Katara couldn't stop thinking about it for one reason. She'd thought Sokka had finally done the right thing and had stopped his sordid affair with Ty Lee. Were they back together again?Or was Ty Lee just satisfying Sokka's libido?

She decided not to bother. She would confront Ty Lee and Sokka individually the next day. For now, she pushed that unpleasant situation to the back of her head and walked away from the governor's room, deciding not to spend the next hour discussing reparations. It could wait till tomorrow. Katara smiled. She had her husband to thank for her now extremely useful ability to avoid problems. His carefree nature had rubbed off on her, and all she wanted to do now was to suntan on the roof.

--

Katara was adorned in nothing but two skimpy little articles of clothing, which showed her flat and toned midriff, her slender limbs. It also played a part in accentuating her large assets. Puberty had been been particularly generous to her in the chest area. She laid down on a mat, soaking up the rays of the sun. Ahh ... relaxation. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw an advancing white dot, which grew larger and larger in size, until it became clear to her that it was Appa, and that her spouse was riding on top.

Katara leapt to her feet, worried something might have happened in the Altai Mountains, to the Air Nomad Colony. Aang would not leave them if there weren't.

"Aang, what's wrong?", Katara yelled out nervously as Appa landed on the roof with a surprisingly light thud. "Did anything happen to the colony?"

Aang tried to look his wife level, but he couldn't. Not because of his height, he had long since caught up with his spouse, but because of his guilt.

"Remember you told me I would tell you my secret when I was ready?"

Katara nodded, recalling the conversation they'd had a few days ago.

"Well, I'm ready, Katara."

Aang breathed in a large breath of air, then spoke quickly, trying to get the deed over and done with quickly.

"What happened with Azula 5 years ago ... caused my time as the Avatar to end. I'm no longer the Avatar, Katara, the cycle has continued, the next Avatar is a kid in the water tribe. That's it."

Aang felt the impact of a sharp slap from his wife.

"You ... you idiot!", Katara yelled, fire present in her round blue orbs. "You kept this from me for 5 years? I'm your wife for goodness sake! All that crap about your Avatar duties being completed by taking down Ozai, that was all buffalo yak droppings! You ... lying scumbag!"

"Well, at least I bothered to tell you!", Aang shouted back indignantly. "Roku asked me to fly straight to the Fire Nation and tell Zuko the truth, but I took a detour so that you would be the first to know! Because you are my wife! And I care about you enough to tell you first!"

Katara's normally soft eyes burned with untamed fury.

"So, you thought of telling me the truth only as an _afterthought_? Only after Roku forced you to reveal the truth? What then, if Roku hadn't intervened, would you have kept up this ridiculous charade? How long would you have kept it going? We are at war, Aang. We have always needed the Avatar, but we accepted your 'I have completed my duty to the world' nonsense. Why? Because we trusted you! We trusted you, Aang, but you've betrayed our trust. You've betrayed me!"

Katara paused, breathless from her long tirade. He anger diminished, and pools of water started forming in her beautiful blue orbs.

Aang walked up to her and put an arm around her.

"Don't cry, Katara, you look too hot in this outfit to be weeping."

Katara shoved Aang aside, her anger returning as quickly as it had dissipated.

"Get off me, your jerk!", she attempted blinking away her tears as they threatened to fall. "Our whole relationship for the past 5 years has been nothing but one big lie. One big lie after another. All the supposed heart-to-heart conversations we had about why you felt you had served your duty as Avatar? All that was false! And to think I actually believed you in the end! I actually thought I'd understood you better, that we moving forward in our relationship. Before that, all you'd wanted was sex! We hardly spoke!"

Katara couldn't fight it anymore. Tears fell.

"But Katara ...", Aang protested. "One of the reasons you loved and eventually married me was because I was the Avatar, the all powerful bender. You heard Aunt Wu's prediction! I couldn't afford to lose you! I didn't want to lose you."

Katara raised her teary face.

"You spied on me when I was at Aunt Wu's? And you really think I married you because of power? Do you honestly think I am that shallow?"

Fury crept back into her voice.

"You ... are a selfish, obsessive man, who wants me locked away so I can be yours and only yours forever. For years I wondered why you couldn't master the Avatar State. Now I do."

Aang's face was a picture of displeasure. "No, Katara, I love you, and you know our love is real. And when love is real, it transcends lifetimes. Remember when we kissed in the Cave Of 2 Lovers? The crystals lit up. Our love is as real is that of Oma's and Shu's. We are meant to be together ... forever."

Katara wiped away her tears. She had stopped crying and now instead, had a steely look in her eyes. "No, Aang, you have deluded yourself into believing what you want. You are not worth crying over. You are a worthless, pathetic man, who has never grown up."

Aang howled in anager. He released a strong gale, sending it Katara's way. She stuck out her hand, lowering the temperature of the air around her by manipulating the moisture present. A sudden gust appeared from behind Katara, and slammed into Aang's attack. The powerful airbending strike was sent right back to a startled Aang, who watched on as his own offense smashed into him.

Collapsed on the roof, he looked up angrily at Katara. "What kind of dark magic is this! Where did you learn that?"

"One of my real friends taught me that." Katara paused, having a sudden epiphany, and realizing something she hadn't considered before. "Zuko."

She walked away, leaving a shell-shocked Aang on the ground.

* * *

Iroh's quarters in the Fire Nation Palace

The Dragon Of The West's room always smelt pleasantly of Jasmine. But his uncle's tea obsession had taken its toll on his bladder in his old age, and he had to visit the bathroom more frequently these days. And that was what Iroh, master firebender was doing at this moment. Waiting, Zuko took a seat in his Uncle's posh room, richly decorated with various memorabilia that the old man had acquired through the years.

Iroh finally emerged, a smile on his face indicating his bathroom visit had gone pretty smoothly. "Ah, if it isn't my favorite nephew."

"I'm your only nephew, Uncle", Zuko corrected. "I know I've already bothered you with too much stuff - first calling you back from the Jasmine Dragon and then dumping all that administrative work on you, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to place another burden on your back."

"I'm sure you've heard that Ozai and the Earthbender Rebels have kidnapped Kuei. What could my Father possibly want with the Earth King?"

Iroh sat down opposite Zuko, the smile on his face replaced with a frown. He poured himself and Zuko a cup of tea. "Come let us drink before discussing any unpleasant matters. I always feels it considerably lessens the burden of one's troubles."

Zuko complied. As the Fire Lord took a few sips of the hot tea, Iroh spoke up, having finished his very much faster.

"My brother is a very intelligent and cunning man. I believe he has realized the flaw of the Avatar's Energybending."

Zuko curious, put the cup of tea down. "What do you mean, flaw? Aang removed all his firebending, how could that be a flaw?"

"Ah, but nephew, Avatar Aang _removed_ his firebending. With every situation in the world, when you remove something, it has to go somewhere. Firebending is energy, and energy cannot be destroyed, only transferred."

Zuko's golden eyes widened. "So you are saying his bending went somewhere else? Where could it go? It's not like there's a orb of firebending power floating around somewhere is there?"

The Fire Lord's question was only greeted with silence from Iroh. His only response was to pour himself more tea.

"Is there??"

Iroh finished his second cup of Jasmine, and placed it back on the table. He looked at Zuko and sighed.

"No, Zuko, not in our world. The firebending energy cannot exist on this plane. It is a spiritual energy which those of us who are born firebenders inherit from Agni. When your Father's bending was removed, it got transferred to the ..."

"The Spirit World!", Zuko exclaimed. "By Agni, he's planning to go into the Spirit World and get back his powers!"

The Fire Lord paused, considering some bits that didn't fit in with this new piece of information.

"But why would he need the Earth King?"

Iroh raised a hand, urging Zuko to listen.

"Back in the days before Avatar Kuruk, there were many volatile and unstable portals to the spirit world, and the boundaries between the worlds were very thin. It didn't seem to be much of a problem, as most spirits are benevolent, and didn't bother the humans in that era. But one fateful night, the malevolent Koh, the Face Stealer, stole Avatar Kuruk's bride, dragging her into the Spirit World. He stole her face, and many others through the numerous portals available. Avatar Kuruk then decided to destroy all the portals to the Spirit World, leaving only the shrines left. He carved spell symbols from the ancient language of the Gods into those shrines, ensuring that the boundaries between worlds were re-established, and that only the Avatar could access those portals. He managed to seal the shrines, and was successful in destroying all other portals bar one. That one portal in a small offshore island continually survived Kuruk's attempts to destroy it, so he bended that Island to the middle of the ocean, and carved a large spell symbol on the underside of the island, ensuring that no spirit would be able to leave that place. It became known as the Island of Shambala, the haven of Spirits. The 45th Earth King Han made it his life's ambition to find the legendary Island Of Shambala, and it was rumored that he did, and created a map so that his descendants could also journey to the Spirit World and achieve enlightenment like he had. "

Zuko caught on. "That was how you got to the Spirit World in the first place ... through this Island, which you found through the map ... which the Earth King is in possession of?"

"Yes. Now, my brother is trying to get to Shambala. He must have already obtained the map from the Earth King, but it takes weeks for even the most experienced seaman to find the Island, so we still have time to spare."

Iroh paused, visibly tired and thirsty from all the talking, and gulped down 3 more cups of tea.

Zuko continued.

"We must stop my Father from getting back his bending, but even if the worst case scenario occurs, I believe you and I can defeat him together. I've worked out the flaws in the combustion technique, perfected it such that it is almost as fast and deadly as lightning, and you have obtained minor control over magma. _We_ can defeat Ozai."

Iroh took a deep breath, and then continued. "No, Zuko. We cannot defeat him. Although you've improved remarkably over the years, you are still nowhere near the level Ozai once was, and my control over magma is extraordinarily minute as I can only cool it down. Yes, together, we could probably take out the normal Ozai but ..."

"Normal Ozai? What do you mean?", Zuko protested, unsure of what his Uncle meant by that.

Iroh explained.

"The removal of his firebending occured on the day of Sozin's Comet. It's power still lingers in Ozai's removed bending. With Energybending, the Avatar bended out all the firebending in Ozai's body, even the cosmic energy from the comet that was attached to it. So ..."

The Fire Lord interrupted his Uncle once again.

"So if Ozai gets his bending back, he will be as powerful as he was on the day of Sozin's Comet."

"Yes, Nephew, so it is imperative he not get back his powers. The Avatar only stopped him through an accidental trigger of the Avatar State, which as far as I know, he still has not yet mastered. No one will be able to stop him. Ozai will carry out his original plan and burn the world to the ground, and build a society crafted in his own ideals and beliefs. It would be the end of civilization as we know it. Ethics, conscience, morals will go out of the picture. My brother is an ambitious man, always has been. He has great plans for the world, and will see it to that his vision is fulfilled."

Zuko nodded, understanding.

"We have to get to the Island before him and stop him from getting his bending back. We can use air bison, I heard the air nomad colony has been doing very well."

Just then, a panicked soldier burst into Iroh's quarters. It was Admiral Jee. He had been a fine character - back when he was a Lieutenant - on Zuko's ship almost a decade ago, and the Fire Lord had given him every opportunity to rise up the ranks.

"What is it, Admiral?", Iroh asked, deceptively cheerfully. Zuko had long ago seen through his Uncle's facade. He acted carefree and aloof so that it would lighten the weight of the burden on his shoulders. It was a simple but effective way of managing stress and anger.

"Kuzon, my Lord," he turned to Zuko, "has fled his room, the only thing we found missing was the late Fire Lady's kabuki mask."

Iroh's mood considerably dampened, and quietly remarked under his breath.

"It's the banished prince all over again."

* * *

--

--

--

--

**Author's Notes:** One of my favorite chapters to date. Really enjoyed writing this one. It's basically the first turning point of my fanfic. So psyched I was about this chapter that I stayed up till 2 a.m to finish it! Anyway, a few things to clarify. Yes, I intended for this to be a Zutara fic, but the development of backstories are essential to my fic. And I know, one problem people may have with this chapter would be my depiction of Aang. I know initially it seems a bit OOC, but this is the kind of person I honestly think Aang could easily become were we to follow canon. This is because the series failed to deal with Aang's obsession over Katara, which we have seen displayed many times throughout the show. He gets angry when there are even minor suggestions(no matter how unfounded) of Katara with another guy(seen in Season 3, episode 17: The Ember Island Players). He was angry and unbelievably impatient when Katara did not immediately reciprocate his feelings after he'd forcefully planted one on her(also seen in The Ember Island Players). He also sarcastically commented and ridiculed the possibility that it was - I quote - "Katara's turn to go on a field trip with Zuko."(seen in Season, episode 16: The Southern Radiers). In the 'The Southern Raiders" scene, he came across as very jealous and bitter, as he openly mocked the idea of Zuko and Katara going on a trip together. If that doesn't reek of possessive/jealous/stalker-boyfriend behavior, I don't know what is. And what do these kind of people do? They delude themselves so as to justify their way of thinking and their actions. They fear losing their girl, and become paranoid and delusional. This exactly fits the profile of my Aang.

For me, the Katara-obsession was the major flaw that Aang had in the series, which denied him access to The Avatar State. I would have thought the series would have ended with him solving this major problem, resulting in him accessing the Avatar State to defeat Ozai. But instead an accident triggered it. Wow. Talk about an anti-climax.

Okay, if you're an avid Kataang fan, you are probably quite ticked off right now. But feel free to post your grievances, and explain why you think Aang isn't a creepy possessive/jealous/stalker - boyfriend. But I wouldn't expect my small viewing audience to have any problems with it. (I hope!)

I also thought that energybending was a far too convenient plot device that allowed the makers to cut out the killing of Ozai for the sole purpose of keeping the ratings down . I understand that as a kids' show, they had to pander to the whims of parent's groups who did not want excessive violence on a chlidren's channel. But sometimes evil people just have to be killed, or they might come back to haunt you. Say if you had a chance to kill Hitler - sensitive topic I know - or throw him in jail forever, which would you choose? I know I'd choose the former, because as long as he's alive, he could come back to haunt us, because by his very existence on this Earth, there is a chance no matter how small, that he could still influence what happens in society.

And on to my last and final point. Okay, so what happened with Katara redirecting Aang's attack? Well, if you have either studied Geography or Physics, you would know that due to the differing air pressures, wind travels from a colder place to a warmer one. So there. Of course, this scientific principle is exaggerated a lot here, but this is the Avatar-verse, I would expect bending to create an area of much higher air pressure than naturally possible.

**P.S.** I am so sorry I've made almost every main character a jackass thus far. But it sure adds to the drama, doesn't it?

* * *


	5. Politics

**Title:** The Aftermath

**Rating:** T+

**Summary:** It is 10 years after the events of Sozin's Comet. Under the rule of the pacifist Fire Lord Zuko and the guidance of the Avatar, many expected the world to heal from the damages suffered during the century-long war. But evil is still afoot, and threatens to disrupt the peace once again ...

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any components of ATLA.

**Warning: **Mild adult themes. And for this chapter, vulgarities! Well, it's not the F word, it's the S word, you know, the one that means feces. And it's only used once so ...

**Chapter 5: Politics**

In the Fire Nation Palace

The whispers and murmurs did not go unnoticed by Fire Lord Zuko. The disapproving looks and venomous glares that were directed to him from his palace staff as he went about his daily duties were painstakingly obvious. The quiet air of hostility surrounding the palace was both unnerving and disquieting. Usually, moments of silence like these were hard to come by, and Zuko had enjoyed these serene moments, where a sense of calm and ease had settled upon the otherwise hectic atmosphere that was the Fire Lord's palace.

But there was a subtle undercurrent of treachery this time round, and the air was saturated with a quiet unspoken threat. Zuko could feel it. The unsettling calm before the storm. A storm of change, of revolt. The Fire Lord could feel it. And all this ... all this just by a few words by his ruffian son.

_Perhaps I should have been stricter on him. Could Ozai have been right? Had he been too lenient?_

Zuko remembered the words of his Father on the day of his escape.

--

_The jail cell had been busted open by Earthbenders, and his soldiers were having a difficult time combating the clearly superior warriors - The White Geckos. The terrorist group consisted of the most powerful and skilled of Earthbenders who had refused the new leadership of the then teenage Avatar and Fire Lord. Zuko had arrived there just as his Father was leaving, his imposing figure - still regal after many years in prison - standing upon a pillar of Earth. _

_"I heard what happened to your pathetic brat of a Son. He deserved it all, you know. He was just like you as a child, defiant, foolish and idealistic. He should have known his place in this world - you should have made him realize that! But you didn't. All boys need to learn respect. My Father taught it to me, I **made** you learn it, but you haven't been firm with your child, and have not taught him the values that made the Fire Nation the greatest nation in the world."_

_Zuko had executed his improved combustion technique towards the former Fire Lord, but a huge explosion later, only rubble and trailing tendrils of smoke remained, his Father having escaped along with the Earthbender terrorists._

--

The Fire Lord paced up and down in his throne room, deep in thought, worried about the repercussions of his Son's actions, augmenting the flames surrounding his throne as he did. The yellow flames flickered from orange to red.

Carefully considering and contemplating the problems that awaited him, the normally alert Zuko didn't notice the herbalist approaching, despite the fact that her footsteps were loud and hurried. Wispy strands of dark brown hair fluttered behind her as she progressed into the Fire Lord's chamber.

"Zuko ...", Song muttered breathlessly. "I heard about what happened with Kuzon."

Silence. The flames flickered from a deep red to a pinkish shade. It lightened further into a sharp violet color. His back facing Song, Zuko spoke, cynicism lacing his voice.

"How was the baby shower? I hope Suki enjoyed my gifts. Perhaps she'll do a better job of raising her child than I did."

Zuko turned to face Song.

Her warm winsome features greeted his fiery gaze. Zuko's features softened, the hardened expression on his face and all the anguish that came with it vanishing in an instant. He couldn't get angry in front of such a pretty concerned face. Genuine affection and care was etched on Song's seraphic face, and he simply couldn't bring himself to unleash his anger on her. As he stood there, anger and anguish dissipating, he once again was caught unawares as Song closed the distance between them, cupping Zuko's right cheek with her hand.

"It'll be alright", she whispered tenderly, her hazel-brown eyes revealing concern and kindness. "He will come round, just like you did."

Zuko suddenly realized that they were standing far too close for platonic friends, and that Song's eyes were glimmering with pure wanton desire.

She pulled his face down towards hers, their lips just touching each other.

"I love you, Zuko."

The words were uttered meekly and rather nervously, but it sparked something in Zuko. He crashed his lips onto hers, and ran his fingers through her dark luscious hair. Song straddled Zuko, her legs wrapped strongly around the muscular body of the Fire Lord.

Zuko burned with desire, he hadn't had this for so long. With everything going on, he longed to lose himself in the pleasure of a woman.

He backed away for a bit, stripping himself of his ceremonial robes, before pressing himself against the taut young body of the Earth Kingdom herbalist, who had also shorn herself of her outer robes.

The Fire Lord continued his groping of her lithe female form, and Song could feel him hardening through the thin fabric of his undergarments. She wrapped herself around Zuko even more tightly, and whispered seductively into his ear.

"You're going to be my first."

Zuko suddenly froze, his hands no longer exploring the sensuous curves of his female companion, his mouth no longer nibbling at her exposed neck.

The Fire Lord instantly regained all of the poise and dignity required of his position, and put his robes back on silently, as a baffled Song, in a state of undress watched on.

'What's wrong?", she said breathlessly. "Don't you want me?"

Zuko simply walked out of the room, the flames around his throne mellowing into a pale yellow, leaving a confused Song lying on the floor, hair ruffled and clothes barely hanging on to her slender frame.

--

The Meeting Room was a maelstrom of disorder and chaos. Ministers and Politicians were waging a verbal battle, and Iroh, despite his strong urging for order and some semblance of a civilized court meeting, was unable to establish any form of control.

It was only until a crackle of electricity streaked through the room that a large shush seemed to descend upon the ministers. Tiny wisps of smoke rose from Iroh's 2 extended fingers.

"Now, we are going to wait for the Fire Lord like the civilized gentleman of high society that we are, instead of like 10 year olds arguing over the last piece of fried Komodo Chicken."

Disgruntled sighs of annoyance came out of the men, and Iroh took a deep breath before sitting down at the right side of the empty Fire Throne. Zuko was tardy. Again. His nephew really had to work on punctuality. Being fancifully late was perfectly fine for famous actresses and singers in the Fire Nation, but the Fire Lord was always expected to be the first to any meeting and the last to leave. Although Iroh hated to admit it, Ozai upheld this unspoken rule all the years of his tyrannical reign.

A few short minutes later Zuko appeared, adorned in full ceremonial robes and armor. He walked quickly up to his throne, aware that the eyes of the entire court were on him, some glaring daggers, others looking on in disappointment, heads shaking, whilst a small few looked on, eyes filled with steely determination in support of their leader.

Seated at his rightful place, Fire Lord Zuko addressed his government.

"I am sure we all know what has transpired in recent times. I would like not to be reminded of it."

Zuko paused, waiting for any response. A few heads nodded, but that was all. He continued.

"So, let us now discuss the important issue of the rebel forces. As you know, the White Geckos have recently taken over the Southern border of the Earth Kingdom - Shandu, from what I've heard have been recently liberated by the Water Tribes/Kyoshi Island alliance, but Qing Juan remains in the hands of these terrorists. It is of major importance that ..."

Minister Quon suddenly stood up, pointing an accusatory finger at the Fire Lord.

"Important? Your son has ran away from home, defamed your name and you choose just to ignore it? Have you seen the papers, Lord Zuko, have you seen what your Son has published about you?"

The scrawny middle-aged man turned around, addressing his fellow ministers and politicians. He unveiled a crumbled parchment, revealing this morning's paper.

"Let me just read out one example, Fire Lord.", Minister Quon said.

"I quote:

_On my 8th birthday, my Father, Fire Lord Zuko forced me to stay in my room, and not show up for my own party. He told me that it was purely for political reasons, that people would think badly of me if I were to show up, but the truth was that he was ashamed of his son. He was too proud, too arrogant to show the world his hideous child. When I sneaked out of my room and went down anyway, my Father, our Fire Lord, in a fit of rage, slapped me across the cheek, and dragged me to my room. All this. On my birthday last year."_

Gasps were heard from the parliament. Quon continued.

"Why should a man who can't even look after his own family be responsible for our great country? What should we let this terrible father look after our families. But no, my fellow kinsmen, that's not the problem, the bigger question we should ask is this: Why should we continue to persist with what clearly is a flawed method of government - a monarchy, where one man has far too much power? We all saw what happened under Sozin, Azulon and Ozai. No one man should wield too much power. Many major Earth Kingdom cities have long since set up a democratic ruling system whereby we, the cabinet actually have a say in what happens, and the people's voices are heard."

Minister Quon turned to face Zuko once again.

"You are in no position to lead this country, much less try to heal the world."

His bold statement encouraged and cajoled the other dissenting ministers and politicians to voice up.

"You are totally inexperienced, you know nothing of the world and how it works!"

"Your early policies promised to solve the problem of the rebels, but until now they are still strong, heck, they've become stronger!"

"You are no better than your Father!"

The last remark drew a response from Zuko. Dark green flame emerged from his fists, burning a hole in the conference table and continued downward, singeing the floor.

He yelled, anger evident on his handsome face.

"I am nothing like my Father! And I have sacrificed everything for this country! You all act so high and mighty, but you do not know how much I slave and tire for this country. Do you know how much I do to ensure everything my Father and forefathers have done in the past are reversed, how much I've tried to stabilize our country's failing economy, which had total dependency on the war? Do you know how many schools and institutions I have built from scratch, how many factories I have had to tear down, how many people I had to make sure were re-employed? Do anyone of you honestly think you could have done a better job than me? Anyone?"

Minister Quon once again stood up.

"No one person could have done a better job than you perhaps, but a coalition government might have."

The other dissidents nodded in agreement.

Iroh came to his nephew's defence.

"In principal, it sounds like a grand idea, but how will anyone agree on anything if so many different individuals' opinions have to be met? Minister Quon, you and your so-called _democrats _here all have different ideas of how to run the country, and the deliberating and consulting will only delay the decision-making process far too much."

And for once, the small minority that had offered Zuko looks of support as he had strode in, nodded.

"My nephew is not as inexperienced as you think he is. He has travelled the globe, seen the ways of others, and has a vast amount of worldly knowledge. He is wise beyond his young years, and his firm decisive leadership is what this country - and what the world - needs now. The Fire Lord recognizes the problem of the monarchy, indeed, we have had long discussions on the dangers of having one person with too much power. Trust me, we have debated it. But right now, in this unstable world, in these dangerous times, we cannot risk change."

Silence fell over the court, and recognizing the awkwardness of the situation, Iroh added diplomatically:

"Some interesting issue were raised today, and we all, I am sure, are rather tired from all the discussion, so for now, the meeting will be adjourned. We shall resume in morning."

Iroh sat beside his nephew, watching the streams of ministers and politicians leave the room.

One of the last to leave was Commander Longshot, leader of the Yu Yan Archers. He rarely spoke.

"Don't let Quon get you down, my Lord, he's been gunning for the throne ever since your coronation."

Zuko nodded, acknowledging the Archer's words, silently appreciating the vote of confidence. Coming from a man of few words, it meant a lot.

After everyone had left, Iroh turned to Zuko, saying sagely:

"You do know that your court is still filled with corrupt officials, who are displeased that their wealth and status in society has diminished since you implemented your policies. Quon is one of the many who are suspected of abusing the system when Ozai was in power, but there never has been any concrete proof that he took advantage of the tax payers' money. There are many others like him, and you have to be careful, Zuko. These are powerful, dangerous men, who have grown up with greed and ambition in their hearts. The doctrine of Sozin has been ingrained in their hearts; it's been ingrained in the hearts of all who are educated. The scholars, politicians and ministers who serve under you, majority of them still believe in the ways of our forefathers, and the whole democratic nonsense is just a smokescreen for their true intentions, which is that of continuing what Ozai has started."

Zuko looked at his Uncle, his golden eyes displaying plaintiveness and sadness.

"I don't know what I would do without you, Uncle. You should be enjoying the rest of your days socializing, brewing tea and playing Pai Sho, but here you are helping me fix my mess. But Quon raises a good point. If I can't even control my own son, why should anyone believe I am fit to run the country? Am I really like my Father, Uncle? Have I become like Ozai?"

Iroh patted his nephew's back.

"You never knew how a Father was to raise a child. Ozai never gave you any example to follow. And Kuzon, well, he's reaching those essential years whereby he has to make his own choices in life, and he has to choose, just like you did, whether his disfigurement determines his destiny."

"But Uncle," Zuko interjected. "I only had a scar, Kuzon's whole left side ... it's burned off. He is completely blind in one eye, and he can barely walk in the streets without a child screaming at him. I thought I looked like a monster. But Kuzon ... what could he possibly think of himself as? And unlike me, he is doomed to carry that burden with him all the days of his life. My scar was healed ..."

Zuko subconsciously raised his left hand to touch the smooth surface of the area surrounding his left eye.

"But Kuzon's disfigurement ... can never be healed. His skin was twisted, contorted by flames, and will never grow properly. He will never be free of this burden ... this horrible burden, and it's all my fault. That day, I should have never ..."

Tiny droplets of tears fell from Zuko's glistening eyes. Iroh stopped him before he could continue wallowing in his self-pity, guilt and anguish.

"The past will never change, Zuko, we can only try to change the present. You must stop blaming yourself for what happened to Kuzon ... you have to move on and forgive yourself. Otherwise Ozai, the White Geckos, Quon and all your other enemies, they will win. You need to be strong, Zuko, no matter how hard it is, you need to be strong."

Zuko, wiping away tears, looked at Iroh and queried,

"So then, I ask, who Uncle, apart from you, can I trust?"

* * *

In the North Pole

Master Pakku had came to see him earlier this afternoon, but Chief Arnook had been far too busy to meet up with the waterbender. The Chieftain had proposed a meeting at dinner though, and Pakku, always a sucker for jellied octopus-eels, had complied.

"So ...", Pakku began, swallowing a spoon of stewed sea prunes as he did. "I'm sure you know the problem we've been having with the refugees."

"Yes ... yes", the Chieftain replied, assuring his guest that he was up to date with his state's problems. "Our existing resources cannot continue to provide for both our people and these foreigners."

"Not only that ...", Pakku continued, as he deshelled a Sea Snail-Crab with his waterbending, using two shards of ice to pick apart the steamed crustacean. "They have been rumors that some of these refugees are actually undercover agents of Princess Azula's forces."

Wine flew out of Arnook's mouth as he sputtered: "But ... but ... what could they possibly gain from being here? I know Princess Azula captured Ba Sing Se through an internal coup, but she had the support of the Dai Li, and Ba Sing Se was a largely politically unstable place at that time. None of those factors apply to us."

Pakku popped a piece of Snail-Crab meat into his mouth and explained: "I don't think that is Azula's intentions, my associates from the Order of the White Lotus, who have reliable sources, have told me that Azula's agents are not spies, or ordinary foot soldiers."

The master waterbender stopped, reaching with his chopsticks, for the culinary delight that were jellied octopus-eels.

Arnook curiosity peaked, demanded impatiently,

"What did their sources say, tell me, Pakku!"

Pakku rather nonchalantly replied.

"Assassins, Arnook, they believe we might have some assassins in our midsts. I doubt they're here to kill you, if they were, you'd have been dead already. The Order of the White Lotus believe they are after a waterbender, as their sources confirmed that only firebender assassins were sent."

Arnook's blue eyes widened in horror as he realized what was going to come out of Pakku's mouth next. His suspicions were confirmed shortly after.

"I'm certain I am the one they are after."

* * *

A small trading town in the Earth Kingdom

The town was bustling with activity, shady businessmen haggling over prices and unscrupulous sellers trying to make a quick buck.

Jet hated this town. This was the living example of everything that was wrong with the world. Ambition and greed. Money and power. But all this would come to an end, once his New World Order was put in place. It was like Professor Chang said, as long as there was money and power in this world, men would continue their ways, and future wars would be inevitable.

"Azula, may I suggest something?"

Jet's question was directed to his veiled companion. They had worn disguises to ensure no one would recognize them. Jet himself had tied his hair up in a ponytail.

"Yes, dear, we'll burn this town down to the ground first."

Azula sat flatly, knowing exactly what her lover had in mind.

As they walked over to the stable, whereby a group of lecherous men were selling exotic animals, Jet whispered a question to Azula.

"Even if we do find him, what are you going to do? You two aren't exactly on the best of terms."

"I'll get his cooperation ...", Azula whispered back. "I can be very convincing when I want to."

When they finally made their way to the stall, amidst the tune of many catcalls and whistles, Azula dropped a sack of gold on the table.

"We want 2 of your fastest steeds."

"You know ...", one of the men suggested lewdly, "Your payment doesn't have to be in cash."

The other men at the back laughed and cheered in drunken stupor.

Jet took action, gripping the offensive man's neck and slammed him against the wall.

"You will take our money, and you will give us your best steeds. And don't you try and pull any shit, because my girl there, she can end your life with a single blow. As can I."

"Apart from ... tiger-dillos, mole-hawks ... and other dangerous pets, we ... do sell Mongoose Dragon thorough-breds", the man whose throat was in the vice-like grip of Jet spat out.

His throat straining from the pressure, the man shouted out coarsely, "Hao! Get them 2 Mongoose Dragons."

Jet loosened his grip, letting the man fall to the ground. He looked over to Azula, who flashed him an approving smile.

_God, he loved this woman._

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Sorry once again for the lack of Zutara fluff. But it's coming soon, I promise. There are a few things I have to build up first though. Sorry for all the political babble about the Fire Nation, but clearly, history has shown that revolution occurs quite frequently in monarchal societies. By the way, jellied eels actually is a real dish, served in England. You eat it like a lollipop. It just felt so much like what the Northern/Southern Tribe cuisine would contain. Can you just imagine Sokka or Katara sucking on jellied eels in the South Pole? I can!


	6. Old Acquaintances

**Title: **The Aftermath

**Rating: **M for this chapter, just to be safe.

**Summary: **It is 10 years after the events of Sozin's Comet. Under the rule of the pacifist Fire Lord Zuko and the guidance of the Avatar, many expected the world to heal from the damages suffered during the century-long war. But evil is still afoot, and threatens to disrupt the peace once again ...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any components of ATLA.

**Warning: **Rating is M for this chapter, as it deals with slightly more adult issues than previous chapters. No lemons/limes though. I don't want to give anything away, but for those of you who are uncomfortable with certain _things, _don't worry, the opening title for one of the paragraphs will tell you everything you want to - or rather do not want to - know, and you have enough time to turn away.

**Chapter 6****: Old Acquaintances**

The Si Wong Desert

Dry arid air blasted into Jet's tanned face. Sweat dripped from his brow. They had been traveling for hours, and despite the growls of protests from the Mongoose Dragons they were riding, his lover had insisted they not stop until they found Long Feng. Jet was quite impressed with the giant lizards actually, they were performing admirably despite being exhausted and running in an unnatural habitat.

"They are just animals, Jet. I would have thought you'd have more bottle, considering what you plan to do to the world."

Azula was unbelievably perceptive, and at times she seemed almost telepathic. Her voice too, was well-projected, despite the noise of wind and sand; Jet was shocked almost to hear her. But the shock quickly subsided. She was a Princess, she had probably learnt to throw her voice at a very young age. Royalty always had to address large crowds of people.

Jet didn't even try to reply. He knew he could never make himself heard in such conditions. Although he did have some experience addressing large crowds, he'd always shouted, and had never really learnt to throw his voice. Yet another thing he'd have to learn from the Princess then. The list was getting longer and longer the more time they spent together. She was such a well-learned and cultured person despite being only 24 years of age. He hated to admit it, but Jet was in love with her. At least he thought he was.

_Do I really love her? Or am I just impressed by what she has - her body, her intelligence, her power?_

Jet shook his head. No. He loved her. She was the only girl he could ever love. She was perfect.

_Is that true, Jet? _

A little voice inside his head said.

_Are you sure you want perfection? _

Jet ignored that stray thought. But it didn't relent.

_Are you sure you want perfect?_ _Your first love wasn't perfect. _

The image of a certain waterbender appeared in Jet's increasingly annoying thoughts.

_You loved her for who she was, for her flaws, her righteous anger and fortitude. _

"Shut up."

_You loved those bright blue eyes, that were so emotive, so expressive. You loved her laughter, her smile. You were happiest with her._

"Shut up!"

Jet focused his thoughts back on Azula. Her steely gaze of gold, her taut flawless body. Her long tresses of raven hair. They were so luscious, so sweet-smelling and aromatic. He remembered their first night together at the Inn. He'd felt like he was making love to a Goddess. She was one of the most intelligent and beautiful people he'd ever known, the embodiment of everything he'd wanted his ideal woman to be. Yes. He loved her.

"They're close", Azula said, once again projecting her voice over the elements. "The sand is getting looser, they've come by here quite recently."

Jet smiled. He felt foolish for having his earlier doubts. Azula was amazing. Katara couldn't hold a candle against her.

A few sand dunes later Jet spotted them, the first signs of life he had seen in this god-forsaken desert since he rode into it. He could see tiny specks of moving objects in the distance, each of varying sizes. Some appeared as large as a coconut, whilst others he could barely make out.

As if reading his mind again, Azula explained.

"It appears our old friend has been quite busy. He's amassed quite a formidable collection of calvary ... Anaconda-phants, Raven Drakes, Saber-Toothed Moose Lions and their more aggressive cousins the Fanged Moose Liger, amongst other things. Yes, that is quite an army."

Azula turned to look at Jet, noticing he had a quizzical look on his face.

"It's the tracks, dummy. I recognize them", Azula dug her spurs into her Mongoose Dragon, and Jet followed suit. They accelerated through the desert landscape, wind and sand whipping behind them. They were tearing up ground at a phenomenal rate, in a billowing cloud of dust. As they covered the distance between them and the moving army, a peculiar but perhaps expected thing happened. The sand beneath them flew up, upending their fine but tired steeds. Azula reacted quickly, sending herself and her reptile airborne, by unleashing a massive blast of blue flame, which propelled them up into the warm desert sky. Grotesque pieces of moldavite glass was left behind, forming oddly shaped structures in the sand.

Jet unsheathed his twin blades, hooking a pillar of natural tektite glass that Azula had left behind in her blaze, and swiveled himself round, using an impressive amount of lower body and leg strength to carry his steed along with him. As Azula landed, she burned an entire stretch of runway into the desert, a strip of dull olive-green vitreous substance shimmering in the afternoon heat.

The Mongoose Dragons thrived on these kind of slick services with their unique sprinting technique of only using 2 legs, and Azula and Jet pushed their beasts of burden forward, despite whines of protest. The newly formed moldavite were burning their steeds' hind legs, causing the large lizards massive amounts of pain.

However, the whines of pain didn't deter their enemies. Massive amounts of surrounding sand was blasted toward them as they strode forward, but by sheer speed alone, they burst through it, although Jet would later complain about squashed sandflies in his teeth. Azula of course had no such problems. She had wisely kept her mouth closed.

As they moved in on the army, Jet was left amazed at the immense size of some of the creatures Azula had named earlier. The Anaconda- phants were the biggest creatures he had ever seen. They were the size of a small building, but with a long prehensile tail at the end and with the neck of a venomous snake. As the couple closed in onto the trailing mastodons, who because of their sheer size, lacked any form of speed(and thus couldn't keep up with the army), Jet's attention was drawn by a sharp whistle coming from Azula. She took her hands off the reins of her steed, and dismounted by flinging herself up onto the hybrid elephants, blue flames from her feet getting her up to the necessary height she required.

Jet knew Azula wanted him to follow her lead, but he couldn't replicate the Princesses's technique, so he loosened up on the reins, and pulled up behind the giant creature. He leapt off his Mongoose Dragon - who clearly was in a great deal from pain from the burns on its feet - and ran up the Anaconda-phants' tail, his days as a Freedom Fighter running up trees coming into play. He heard the sickening crunch of the Mongoose Dragons below, who'd obviously had nothing left in their tank to avoid being crushed by the footsteps of the titanic beast.

Azula shouted, projecting her voice to the army of men in front if her - Earthbenders, Dai Li, Sandbenders and ordinary army men.

"Halt your movements, soldiers!"

Azula's voice was authoritative and firm.

"I demand to speak to Long Feng now."

Seeing no response from them, she added.

"I will slaughter all of you, like the spineless pigs you are, if I don't get to talk to him."

A few of the men sniggered, clearly mocking her threat. The Sandbenders raised a large, thick snaky stream of sand from the desert floor, and sent it hurtling toward the Princess. Jet instinctively rushed toward Azula, intending to push her out of harm's way, but before he could do so, a painful blueish-white flash of hot intense light blinded him, forcefully squeezing his eyes shut.

When Jet finally opened them, he saw large shards of translucent olive-green glass buried in the sand, hot smoke emanating from the long and thin pieces. Jet had seen moldavite only once before, at a volcano in the Earth Kingdom, but he had never once seen the naturally occurring material presented or used in such a magnificent way.

Surprisingly, no one had been hurt. In a way, it made a much stronger point, as Azula had displayed amazing finesse and skill to the disbelieving men, who now, if you were wondering, were looking up at Azula, with fear and reverence.

An old but distinctively familiar voice spoke out.

"Why, if it isn't Princess Azula. Still don't think I have a right to rule?"

* * *

A brothel in the Fire Nation

One would have thought that such an establishment would not have been allowed to exist under the idealistic views of Fire Lord Zuko, and although it had been decreed that any form of sex trade was illegal, there were still many underground brothels around, disguised as Inns which offered _additiona_l services. This was one of them. And it wasn't one of the shabby ones either. It was a decent Inn, which appeared respectable and humble on the outside, but inside their rooms, men - and some women - were experiencing a treat for their senses.

A hooded figure made his way to the counter, his face hidden from view and his voice low and gruff. The Innkeeper knew his kind. An upper class nobleman, who couldn't afford to be seen or recognized among these parts. The Innkeeper actually knew this one quite well, he'd been using their _additional_ services for a few years now.

The jovial, slightly pudgy Innkeeper greeted his regular with gusto.

"The usual?"

The burly heavyset man nodded brusquely in response.

"We've had more requests for her lately, but I'm proud to say we've kept our end of the bargain."

The cloaked **stranger** - who yet at the same time was not - answered, his voice obviously altered.

"With the amount of money I'm paying you, I'd expect you to. And you are an honorable man, Huk, I wouldn't expect anything less."

The Innkeeper smiled. This was true, he always honored his deals ... at least those that made the most business sense. And of course, he didn't want to piss off his most important and profitable client by reneging on their agreement. He knew the stranger was influential around these parts and could easily find out if his favorite prostitute - who he'd paid a lot for to prevent from being pimped - was being taken left, right and centre by drunk sea merchants and horny teenage boys.

"She's in the suite, as always."

The mysterious nobleman turned away and walked up the stairs to the top floor, whereby the Inn's best room was kept. Inside, as per his expectations, awaited his clandestine lover. She was a real looker, flawless skin, beautiful brown eyes, with a long but not too slender frame. But the thing which turned him on most was her moan. By God, she had the most delightful moan. It turned the man on just thinking about it. Tamar wasn't like your typical whore. She was a classy woman, and really looked like she could belong in court, maybe even work as a secretary in his office. Of course, that was one of the reasons the man liked her, she looked like someone from high-society, not a trashy whore like the others below.

"I want the full set tonight."

The man didn't bother to disguise his voice. Tamar knew who he was. And she had genuinely fallen for him; the dark-haired man with golden eyes knew this. So she respected his wish to keep his identity secret. In a way, the man particularly liked his sessions here because he was always being pleasured by a woman who loved him, who cared about him.

"Are you sure?", Tamar asked, her eyes widening with surprise. "You've never ordered the full set. You might not like some of the _positions_."

"And ...", she continued. "I know it's not my place to ask but, is everything alright?"

Tamar may have chosen this line of work for herself, but she was no fool. In fact, she had graduated from the Royal Fire Academy for Girls. She had long ago realized that he'd only came to her when he was feeling stressed. The mind-blowing sex she provided was just a way for him to forget his problems. Tamar was more than willing to help him in that aspect however, because she felt good being able to help him cope with his problems. She loved him, and even though she knew that it was unrequited, she wanted to help him out the best she could. But tonight he had asked for the full set, and she couldn't help but be a little concerned, as that probably meant he was really stressed out about something.

The handsome man replied,

"I feel nothing but pleasure when I'm with you, I'm sure I'll love whatever it is you might instigate."

The young lady blushed, forgetting all her earlier concerns and eagerly took off her robe. Tamar didn't care what happened to him that drove him to her, she didn't care that he was just using her to relax. All she cared about was that right now, tonight, he was hers, she was with the man she loved, and he desired and wanted her as much as she did for him.

The man unrobed as well. Tamar was barely 20, and her nubile body was a wondrous delight, which the older man always felt honored to possess. He wasn't that old, only in his late 20's, but he still felt like he was living a dream every time he made love to her. She made him experience feelings his wife never did. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he didn't care, he wanted to lose himself in her arms ... and her legs.

As he jumped onto the silk bed, he thought back to how he nearly took Song the other day, how he had almost taken her virginity. He would have only used her to forgot his problems, and he didn't want Song's first time to be with a man who was only taking advantage of her.

Zuko's thoughts were forgotten as the session began. A moan escaped his lips as Tamar took him into her mouth.

_He was really going to enjoy tonight._

* * *

In the Royal Palace of Shandu

Sokka woke up just after dawn with Ty Lee curled up at his side, the first rays of the day creeping in from the bedroom windows. He got up and drew the curtains back, letting the warm early colors of sunrise creep into the room. It was such a beautiful sight, and he mused, such a perfect moment. Sokka remembered the battle the day before, how they had been losing before Katara intervened; her presence had completely turned the tide(literally) in their favor, and everyone had been energized and motivated to fight that extra harder, run that extra mile to win the battle. That was a euphoric high after their victory, and when Ty Lee had come into his room to congratulate him, he had grabbed her, ripped off her clothes and made love to her. He didn't regret it. They had went on to have the best night of their lives.

He heard a deep sigh coming from the bed. Sokka turned around, seeing that Ty Lee had just awoken, and that she was gazing at his naked form. Sokka was proud of his masculinity, his set of nicely defined abs, his rippling shoulder, chest and back muscles. Bato had once told him that women liked the triangular V shape of men's back, and that showing off one's rippling back and shoulder muscles seriously turned them on.

Sokka turned his head back toward the morning sunrise, feeling Ty Lee's gaze all over his back, starting from his neck all the way to his butt. Sokka smiled. They were both enjoying views - no matter how different.

"Oh my ..."

He heard Ty Lee gasp lightly.

"Wanna go again?", Sokka asked cheekily, albeit light-heartedly, as he turned back toward Ty Lee and made his way to the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. He crawled into bed snugly, his body pressed tightly against Ty Lee's. She responded by pecking at his lips, showering him with soft gentle kisses. Both were still tired from last night, so all they wanted now was each other's presence and company. Ty Lee slowly made her way up onto Sokka, lightly straddling him, continuing her affectionate actions.

"So ...", Ty Lee said between kisses."What does this mean for us?"

Sokka gulped. He had hoped he wouldn't have to deal with that question. He still meant what he said on the ship, it was just that his desire and urges had got the better of him. He looked into Ty Lee's soft hopeful features, her adorable button nose and beautiful brown eyes. He couldn't bear to break her heart again. But he had to, he couldn't carry this on forever, and he knew that more heartbreak only awaited if he continued this with Ty. Eventually, he would have to break her heart, and the longer he postponed it, the more painful it would be for the both for them.

"Sokka?", Ty Lee tensed up and stopped her pelting of kisses, looking at him worriedly, clearly sensing his distress.

The brown-skinned man raised his left hand, cupped Ty Lee's face in it, and brought her face down gently, pulling her into a long deep kiss. He knew nothing good would come of this, and that the future would only hold more hurt and pain for the both of them. But Sokka didn't care.

_Screw the future. _

He thought as he plunged his tongue into his lover's mouth.

_The present is far too good just to let go off._

When they finally broke off the kiss for air, Sokka breathlessly asked.

"Did you mean what you said ... about being my mistress?"

Ty Lee nodded excitedly and said jubilantly,

"Every word of it, cutie, every word."

Sokka smiled.

"Then I guess from henceforth you shall be Sokka's mistress."

A smile of pure ecstasy broke out across Ty Lee's face, and she moved in and kissed her lover, as long and hard as she could, delighted that what she had thought she'd lost 2 days ago wasn't permanent after all. She didn't mind that she would have to share him with Suki. As long as they could see each other, she was content.

A knock on the door quickly turned the atmosphere around.

"Sokka? It's me", Katara's voice was unmistakable, even though it contained concern and an emotion Sokka couldn't quite pin down. "I really need to talk to you."

Regret. That was it. Katara was feeling regret.

Sokka and Ty Lee moved as fast and agile as pygmy pumas, grabbing clothing and putting them on in double-quick time. Ty Lee dashed into the bathroom as Sokka opened the door for his sister.

"Sokka, I think ... I think I've made a huge mistake", Katara stuttered, clearly distraught about something.

"Aang came over yesterday", Katara divulged. "He told me the truth ... turns out the real reason he hasn't helped out in the war is because he's ... somehow ... his time as the Avatar ended."

"How?!", Sokka asked, demanding an explanation. "How the hell did that happen?"

"I don't know", Katara's voice had regained some of it's normal confidence. "He didn't say. But it sure explained why he haven't seen him do much bending the past few years."

Sokka looked at his sister, his eyes urging her on. They'd had such a deep understanding, nothing had to be said between them for either sibling to know what the other wanted.

"We had a fight", Katara said matter-of-factly, too matter-of-factly perhaps, as her voice was unnaturally devoid of any emotion. Katara's voice usually was peppered with personality. For an instant there, she sounded like Mai. Something was really wrong.

"I called him ... many things ... many horrid things. But I wasn't wrong was I? He's always been so possessive of me, he treats me like some trophy he wants to have all to himself."

Sokka shook his head. "Katara, Aang has always been crazy for you. I didn't pick up on it at first, but after you two got together, I realized all the signs had been there from the start. Aang loves you. A lot. He may be possessive, but that's because he can't bear the thought of living a life without you."

The older man from the Southern Water tribe looked at his sister, with a comforting look in his eyes.

"Aang doesn't want to lose you, and that has driven him to overprotectiveness and possessiveness", Sokka remarked at his own wisdom (He never known he was this good at analyzing relationships, but then again he was sleeping with 2 women)."I hope you didn't hurt his feelings too much. You're his entire world, he wants to be with you, he needs to be with you; and if he can't, it would kill him inside."

Katara said nothing for a while. A soft murmur escaped Sokka's lips.

"Oh no ... you didn't ...", Sokka shook his head in disbelief. "You couldn't have ..."

Katara, knowing exactly what her brother was thinking, confirmed his worst suspicions.

"Yes, Sokka, I basically ended it with him, and essentially told him that I don't even view him as a friend anymore."

"Katara ...", Sokka chided politely. "You destroyed him, you took away what he loved the most in this world."

He paused. "You."

Katara stood at the doorway, silent once again for a few seconds.

"I have to fix this", Katara said with conviction. "Aang said he was going to see Zuko and tell him the truth. I have to go and patch things up with him."

"Take Sticky", Sokka said forcefully. "He will get you there fastest. I know he drools a lot and likes to cover his rider with copious amounts of slobber, but he's the fastest Giant Eel Hound we've got. Go. Fix things."

Katara looked her brother in her eye, determination creeping back into her face, and then she added in a voice so low it was barely a whisper,

"You too, Sokka. _I know_. Just make sure you don't break the hearts of 2 innocent women."

Katara knew Ty Lee was hiding in the bathroom. She was as perceptive as her brother with these kind of things. Plus the large unsightly bulge in his pants kinda gave it away.

Sokka's face turned a deep red, guilt etched over his handsome face.

Katara continued, still talking in that soft half-whisper. "I trust that whatever decision you make Sokka, it'll be the right one for yourself. I just want you to be happy."

With that Katara left a very confused and guilty Sokka standing at the doorway.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I had originally intended for Katara to go to the Fire Nation because she felt bad for what she said to Aang. I didn't intend for her to feel so guilty. But as pointed out in my reviews, Katara was quite OOC, and I've tried to correct it. And It's horrible I know, Zuko sleeping with a minor for 'a few years now' and condoning prostitution, but he has gone through a lot in the past 10 years. He's a tormented soul. Poor guy really. Plus, I really like controversy.

As for Azula producing glass, well moldavite is a naturally occuring substance, although once again I took some liberties with the exact process involved. Moldavite was formed over 15 million years ago when a meteorite hit Earth, melting gravel and sand into a glass like substance. Of course I have no idea whether moldavite would form in this scenario, but nobody knows, so I'll just put it down as an experimental hypothesis.

Ah, and the final point. The thing about females being turned on the triangular V shape of men? I watched a documentary about one's attraction to the opposite sex, and what triggers it. The same thing applies for men with the hourglass shape of women.

* * *


End file.
